A sluggish Manchester City defence was exploited last night by AC Monaco’s young, explosive attack. In the first leg City came out on top with an emphatic 5-3 win at the Etihad. In Manchester, Guardiola’s inexperienced back line were ripped to pieces in the first half, but fortunately for them Agüero and the rest of the punishing attack rescued the first leg, which seemed to give them a great advantage over their opposition. Hopes were high for the men in blue as they arrived in Monaco, but the elaborate city disguised the team’s ruthless nature. AS Monaco’s manager Leonardo Jardim went for an aggressive 4-3-3 whilst Pep’s side set up with a contrasting 4-1-4-1 formation, with an aim to maintain their 2 goal advantage. If Manchester City won, they would join fellow English side Leicester City in the quarter finals, after their well fought out victory ended 2-0 over Spanish side Sevilla. Little did they know, Monaco had other ideas. The first five minutes were looking shaky for the City defence, and this continued when Sagna left space on the left for Bernardo Silva to play a brilliant ball into the promising, young talent Kylian Mbappé who fired it past Willy Caballero, giving him his second ever goal in European football, after only eight minutes. Things continued to deteriorate as Monaco kept pushing at the Man City defence on the chase of the miraculous comeback. Their efforts were rewarded on the half hour mark when the young goal scorer started an attack. He made it to Stones before releasing Thomas Lemar who picked out Mendy beautifully. Once again Sagna was at fault allowing Mendy to spot the run of Fabinho who advanced his run past Kolarov and finished a wonderful attack and fired it home, giving the home side a great advantage ahead of the interval. Keeping the dream alive! The second half got underway and things began to shape up for the English side. Tactics changed in the second half as Pep Guardiola switched to a more compact formation to deal with the potent Monaco attack. Sagna improved immensely after the break, beginning to shut out their opportunities. Manchester City continued to dominate the possession, creating more and more goal scoring chances for the main man Agüero. The hard work eventually paid off in the 71st minute, as a shot from Raheem Sterling forced a save from the AS Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic, allowing summer signing Leroy Sane to smash it in at the back post, putting Manchester City 6-5 up on aggregate. Spirits were high for the away fans. Just minutes later, Kevin de Bruyne conceded a cynical foul outside the box on the right hand side. Bernardo Silva stepped up and floated a nice ball into a dangerous area, a difficult one for the Manchester City players to defend. This proved lethal as Tiemoué Bakayoko took full advantage of the poor marking, planting the header into the bottom right corner, with pace. Monaco were winning the tie on away goals with 15 minutes to go. Manchester City were rushing their play, trying desperately to score the goal they so desperately needed. Their attempts came to nothing and Monaco managed to hold onto their lead and progress into the quarter finals of the Champions League. Players, staff and Leonardo Jardim, ecstatic, rushed onto the pitch to celebrate with their team-mates and loyal fans. On the opposite side of the pitch was grief. City players could simply not believe they had just led that two goal lead slip. The game lived up to all expectations. City did not put in the best performance but nothing should be taken away from Jardim and his thrilling team. They thoroughly deserved to go through thanks to the youthful talent of Bakayoko, Bernardo Silva and Mbappé

SuperWhoLock is the name given to the shows Supernatural, Doctor Who, and Sherlock, when referred to as one. Although the shows may seem very different, it has adopted many of the same viewers. Read more to find out about these shows, and what lies in store for them this year.

Supernatural

Supernatural is an American fantasy horror TV show, and it first aired on September 13th, 2005, starring Jensen Ackles (as Dean Winchester), and Jared Padalecki (as his brother, Sam Winchester). Since then, it has adopted Misha Collins (as Castiel) in its 4th season. When it first started, no one thought it would last very long, but as it celebrates its 12th season, and the news that there will be a season 13, many could not think of a life without it.

The show follows the life of two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, tracking and killing supernatural monsters, whilst travelling across America in Dean’s ’67 Chevrolet Impala, with the phrase ‘Saving people, hunting things, the family business’.

Spoiler Warning

As you can imagine, the show has had to adapt and add characters, storylines, and creatures, to keep its average of 2.02 million viewers entertained. So far, we’ve had angels, demons, actual Death, gods from different religions, and even God and ‘His sister’ Amara have made an appearance. So, what could they possibly add, we’ve already had Sam and Dean die multiple times, both brothers have died a combined total of 124 times (although around 100 of those were in the episode Mystery Spot (Season 3, episode 11), where Dean was under a curse from the hands of The Trickster. Well, so far in season 12, we have the Winchester boys’ mother, Mary Winchester, back alive, and hunting, after being resurrected by God in the last episode of season 11. We are also reminded that Britain exists, as the British Men of Letters have come to America to clean up after, and ridicule, the American Hunters’ ways. So we are left with the question ‘What could the writers possibly do in season 13?’

Spoiler Warning Over

Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, and Misha Collins, are the three main stars of this show, and it wouldn’t be the same without them. But, as much as someone would love the famous actor’s life, it doesn’t mean it can’t get tough. During the filming of season 3, Jared Padalecki ‘broke down’ in his trailer, and, after a doctor talked to him and said ‘I think you’re clinically depressed’, he realized that no matter who you are, depression, and other mental illnesses, can still affect you. This is what sparked his idea, and a friend from another show, to create the ‘Always Keep Fighting’ campaign, to help raise money for a non-profit organization To Write Love On Her Arms. So, he created a t-shirt design, and since then has continued to do so, now with multiple shirts, jumpers, and hoodies; and on march 4th, it celebrated its 2nd birthday. Jared Padalecki has used the fanbase to help a wonderful cause, helping those who deal with depression, suicidal thoughts, mental illnesses, and addiction. He says ‘I don’t want somebody to wake up and say, “Don’t give up today — I hope this isn’t the day I get beaten down.” I want somebody to wake up and brush their teeth and think to themselves like, “Today’s not going to be easy. Today’s going to be a fight, but I’m going to fight.”’

Doctor Who

This year, the tenth season of Doctor Who returns on April 15th, and will see Peter Capaldi as the Doctor, with Pearl Mackie as the new companion, Bill Potts. This is Capaldi’s third season as the Doctor, and will sadly be his last. But as we watch his last adventures, we will be asking ourselves, ”who will be the 13th?”

We have had 12 Doctors, and by now, it is a very well-known role.

William Hartnell

Patrick Troughton

Jon Pertwee

Tom Baker

Peter Davison

Colin Baker

Sylvester McCoy

Paul McGann

Christopher Eccleston

David Tennant

Matt Smith

Peter Capaldi

?

Many fans have said who they would like it to be, and they vary greatly. Some want a ‘more diverse cast choice’, as in, something other than a white male playing the doctor. So we have had many choices for males, females; and here are the most common.

Olivia Colman

Andrew Scott

Richard Ayoade

Any of these are plausible suggestions, as Capaldi’s leave also sees the leaving of Steven Moffat, the producer of the hit show, as Chris Chibnall takes over after this season. We interviewed a Doctor Who fan about his thoughts on the show.

Who do you think would be good as the new doctor?

I think that the Doctor’s daughter, who was cloned from his DNA would be good.

What did you think of Peter Capaldi as the Doctor?

Unfortunately, I didn’t enjoy him as much as I had done the previous new doctors. I didn’t like his energy, it wasn’t quite right, it didn’t have the same manic feel as the others, I didn’t really like him as much.

Writer Steven Moffat has just announced that he is leaving Doctor Who. How do you think this will affect the storyline?

I think it will have an effect, but he was the kind of overarching one, so all the individual episode authors are still there, so we will see a change in the way the interlocking stories are done, and that may be good for a refresh, because we’ve seen the interlocking stories and it would be good to see something change about them, but the episode by episode will still be the same writers.

Sherlock

Sherlock is a crime drama television series, first aired on the 25th of July 2010. Based on the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ detective stories by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the series stars Benedict Cumberbatch (as Sherlock Holmes) and Martin Freeman (as Doctor John Watson). Since 2010, four seasons, each featuring three one-and-a-half hour long episodes, have been made, plus a special episode aired on the 1st of January 2016. Sherlock has received many positive reviews, describing how well written, performed and directed the show is, and the dramatic finale of season four, aired earlier this year, has left fans with an important question on their minds; will there be a season five?

Severe Spoiler Warning

The fourth season of Sherlock was dramatic from start to finish. The first episode ”The Six Thatchers” begins with Sherlock and John doing what they do best, solving crimes. This particular case, however, is quickly discovered to be in no way ordinary. After numerous links to Mary’s (Amanda Abbington) previous job, and a man from her past bent on revenge, the episode rounds up to a dramatic stand-off in the London Aquarium. After discovering who was behind the crime, Mary jumps in front of a bullet, meant for Sherlock, and dies. It is then revealed that John blames Sherlock for her death.

The second episode is in no way a break from the suspense. Titled ”The Lying Detective” it begins with Sherlock meeting up with a young woman, who explains that her father confessed that he had to kill someone, but she could not remember who. Sherlock realizes that her father is a serial killer, and tries to expose him for who he really is. Sherlock is then hospitalized and nearly killed, but is saved just in time by John. Sherlock then fulfills Mary’s dying wish, ”Save John Watson”, but discovers that he has a sister, named Eurus. The episode ends with Eurus firing a bullet at John.

The season ends with an episode dramatically named, ”The Final Problem”. In this episode, Sherlock, John, and Sherlock’s older brother, Mycroft (Mark Gatiss), visit the secure mental hospital Eurus has been kept in since she was a young girl. They later discover that Eurus has manipulated the entire hospital, and has all its staff under her control. She forces the three of them to make life-threatening decisions in order to survive. Throughout this, Sherlock had to choose between his brother and his best friend, make the woman who secretly loved him, Molly Hooper (Louise Brealey) admit to it, and discovered that Redbeard, his childhood dog that went missing, was actually his best friend that Eurus killed in order to join in with Sherlock’s games. They survive, and life goes back to normal, with Sherlock and John living in Baker Street as they used to. Fans are desperate for a fifth season, but if the show were to be discontinued, many will still be satisfied with the happy ending.

We interviewed a Sherlock fan about their opinion of the show.

What do you think of the latest episodes of Sherlock?

I did really enjoy them, I can see where the concern about them having too much action, and being kind of insane comes from, but I did really enjoy them. It was good to be back in shot after the wait.

Would you like a fifth season?

I would like a fifth season, because I’ve really enjoyed all the episodes there have been so far, but the ending of the last season is one I am happy with being the end.

If they could make a fifth season, what would you like to be in it?

I would like ‘The Engineer’s Thumb’ which is one of the short stories in which he goes to investigate a printing press and the only proof that it happened is that the engineer from the printing press has lost his thumb and that’s the only concrete evidence. It’s the one where he is foiled. I’d like to see how they could take that and turn it into a victory we’d be looking for.

We’ve had the mystery involving Redbeard revealed, along with the third Holmes sibling, Eurus. What did you think of her addition?

I quite like her character. I quite liked how they played on how there is this mystery in the actual canon that there is this cleverer Holmes brother, so I’d quite like to see her crop up in the same way that Mycroft does, when he pops up and you get that interaction between Sherlock an Mycroft, and it would be quite interesting to see the interaction between Sherlock, Mycroft and Eurus

Do you think there is a secret fourth episode?

Everyone tuned in the week after to see if there was a secret fourth episode, but after so many weeks I don’t think it’s going to happen.

Spoiler Warning Over

The director of Sherlock, Steven Moffat, has described how eager the cast and crew of Sherlock are to continue into a fifth season, but it is evident that that is going to be difficult. Both Cumberbatch and Freeman have busy schedules that are difficult to match up, and as much as they will try, a fifth season may not be possible.

Originally the “Balerno Community Songsters”, Balerno theatre company has been wowing audiences with dazzling shows for over a quarter of a century. It’s done everything from Bonnie and the Beast to Bugsy Malone, and last year’s stunning performance, the Wizard of Oz at the Churchill Theatre.

The Wizard of Oz is a story about a lost girl named Dorothy, trying to make her way home. She meets many important characters along the way, like a lion, a tinman and a very cowardly lion. She finds the ruby slippers and is transported all the way back to her home in Kansas.

Balerno Theatre Company rehearse twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. These rehearsals start 6 to 8 months before the show with occasional Saturday rehearsals as show week approaches. Show week begins with set building and preparing backstage on Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are filled with the very stressful technical and dress rehearsals. And before you know it it’s Wednesday – the first show.

As part of Balerno Theatre Company you can gain a great social life, have fun and most of all become part of the theatre! Balerno Theatre Company love to perform and have great fun fundraising and playing a part in our local community.

We asked around at our school, and quite a few of our teachers have seen the show. Our English teacher, Miss Caddow told us that “it improves confidence in teenagers “and it was “excellent for an amateur performance.” She even said “it was everything you’d expect from a professional performance”. Our Drama teacher, Mr. Coulson told us that “I thought the show was excellent, it was amazing”, then he proceeded this by saying, “it was complicated, they really didn’t hold back”. The last thing he said was” I would urge people to become involved with Balerno Theatre Company”

Thanks for reading our report, and we ask you to join Balerno Theatre Company next year at the Churchill theatre, and for many years to come.